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A Spanish woman who sued her former employer after being fired for showing up too early to work has just lost her case.
While it’s widely understood that repeatedly arriving late to work can justify dismissal, arriving well before one’s scheduled start time can also lead to trouble.
The woman, an employee at a delivery company, routinely began her workday around 6.45am, even though her contract clearly stated a 7.30am start. Her early arrivals meant she was working long before the rest of her team, eventually drawing her manager’s attention.
She was formally reprimanded in 2023 but continued the practice despite multiple warnings.
Earlier this year, she was dismissed for ‘serious misconduct’, with the company arguing that by coming in so early – when no tasks were assigned – she was contributing nothing to the operation.
Disagreeing with the termination, she brought the case before the Alicante social court. But the court upheld the company’s decision.
Judges sided with her ex-employer, saying, “The worker’s conduct had an impact on the relationship of trust and loyalty, which is considerably affected, because despite the company’s warnings […] the complainant insisted on entering prematurely.”
“Ultimately, it is considered that the behaviours attributed to the worker […] are of sufficient gravity and importance to constitute very serious misconduct of disloyalty, breach of trust and disobedience, which justify the termination of the employment relationship,” the verdict added.
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